Dan Welms - Director of Flight Training

Gold Seal Flight Instructor, Cirrus SR20/SR22 Instructor

dan@airquestaviation.com

Dan began flying in 1998 with his first flight logged on a Cessna 150.  He began flight training at Horizon Aviation in Franklin, PA.  After that he went on to train at Beaver Aviation in Chippewa, PA and the American Flyers out of Cleveland, OH as well as attended the Community College of Beaver County.  He joined the team at AirQuest Aviation in December 2005, and has since become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI).  One of his greatest joys with his job is witnessing a pilot who has just passed his checkride because he knows he played a part in that person's success.

Juriaan de Blok - Chief Cirrus Instructor, CFI, CFII, CSIP

jdeblok@airquestaviation.com

Juriaan caught the "flying" bug when he traded the European mainland for Florida in 2003.  After enduring the Florida sun in Venice for a year, it was time to trade in the Gulf beaches for the Grand Canyon.  He spent 9 months flying as a First Officer on a twin turboprop showing Vegas tourists one of the Natural Wonders of the World.  In 2007, after spending over a year in Europe, he returned to the states to marry his wonderful wife and to pick his flying career.  Since 2007 he has been busy as a flight instructor for AirQuest Aviation and has been working in the charter department piloting the trademark Cirrus Air Taxi airplanes as well as the Seneca and King Air aircraft.  Juriaan holds the CFI and CFII certificates and is the current CSIP Supervisor.

Chris Shannon - Senior Flight Instructor, CFI, CFII, CSIP

chris.shannon@airquestaviation.com

Chris began flying when he was 16 years old.  After completing his Private Pilot License at Beaver Aviation, he went on to Haski Aviation where he received his CFI Instrument.  He then completed his Multi-Engine from Armstrong Aviation.  Throughout all of his training, Chris found time to get a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Slippery Rock University and an Associates Degree in Professional Piloting from the Community College of Beaver County.  After an exciting stint as a Mortgage Closure he joined AirQuest Aviation in 2005.  Since then, Chris has trained a vast variety of pilots, ranging from a great-grandmother to teenagers - learning something new from each and every student.  As they say, a good pilot is always learning and he has experienced exactly that at AirQuest Aviation.  Chris is also an avid Scottish Highland Games participant, be sure to ask him about throwing stones, tossing a caber or picking out a kilt!

Leonie van Driel - CFI, CFII

lvandriel84@hotmail.com

Leonie began her flight training in 2005 in Florida and obtained her Commercial Pilots License before becoming a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI, CFII) in 2006.  She left the flight school in Florida to pursue a career as a First Officer on the Dornier 228 for Vision Airlines in Las Vegas.  In October 2007, she traveled to Europe to convert her FAA License to the European equivalent, training at the Aeolus Aviation Academy in Greece and the Oxford Aviation Academy in the United Kingdom.  In 2009, Leonie returned to the United States to become a Flight Instructor with AirQuest Aviation.

Martijn Koster - CFI, CFII, MEI

mkoster1879@gmail.com

Martijn began flight training in 2004 in Venice, Italy.  He received his Certified Flight Instructor Certificates (CFI, CFII, MEI in 2005.  In 2006, Martijn began a career as a First Officer in Las Vegas, flying tourists over the Grand Canyon in a Dornier 228.  He returned to Europe to convert his FAA License to the European equivalent at Oxford Aviation Academy in the United Kingdom and in Kavala, Greece.  Martijn currently has over 1,400 hours of total flying time, with at least 500 hours as a flight instructor.  In July 2009, Martijn began working with AirQuest Aviation as a flight instructor.

John Cruce - CFI, CFII

johncruce223@yahoo.com

After graduating from Dubois High School in 2007, John began his aviation education at the Delta Connection Academy in Sanford, Florida.  After obtaining his Commercial Pilot's License, he joined the American Flyers based in Pompano Beach, Florida.  There, John received his CFI and CFII certificates as well as a ride in the Goodyear Blimp.  One of his most memorable avaiation experiences was flying a Cessna 152 for 8 hours from Pittsburgh, PA to Orlando, FL.  For the time he has been at AirQuest Aviation, John has enjoyed meeting new people and he strives to help his students succeed.  John value the feeling of watching his students solo for the first time as well as obtain their licenses.

Jim Cortese - CFI, CFII

jimmyc007@verizon.net

Flying first caught Jim's eye in 1986; he has been flying ever since.  He trained at Beaver Aviation and has 1,900 hours of training with over 1,400 hours of those in instructing.

Pete Perkins - CFI, CFII, MEI

perkinspeter@yahoo.com

Ever since he can remember, Pete has been fascinated with the idea of flying.  For his 14th birthday, his mother gave him an introductory flying lesson which took him over Pittsburgh, Kennywood and his house.  It wasn't until he graduated from James Madison University, and moved to Phoenix that he started his flight training.  He attended the school ATP where he eventually became an instructor.  He then moved back to Pittsburgh to become a pilot with AirQuest Aviation, which he considers to be a great privilege.  He eagerly waits to fly with all those who are interested.

Jonathan Butkovic - CFI, CFII

jbutkovic8@gmail.com

Jonathan has been a pilot for over 3 years and has trained with several different facilities, including Moore Aviation, Pittsburgh Flight Training and American Flyers.  He has accumulated over 360 hours of training and is a great addition to the AirQuest Aviation team.